Eight years
after he returned to his alma mater to lead The Citadel's military program,
Brigadier General Emory Mace has announced that he will retire as commandant.
Saying he has accomplished what he came here to do, Mace told The Citadel
Board of Visitors on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2005, that he will step down from
his post this summer.

The
Citadel's president, Major General John Grinalds, will appoint a search
committee next week to select a new commandant.

"The
military program at The Citadel is highly professional and rigorous thanks
to the strong leadership of General Mace," Grinalds said. "The
changes that he has implemented in military training and leadership development
have made The Citadel the best military college in the country."

BG
Mace was appointed commandant in 1997, several months after The Citadel
admitted its first class of women. As third in command at the college,
BG Mace oversaw military training during a dramatic period of transition
from an all-male to a coeducational Corps of Cadets.

In
1999, his daughter Nancy Mace became The Citadel's first female graduate
from the Corps. Since that time, 67 women have graduated from the cadet
program and the current 2,000-member Corps includes about 130 women.

When
he arrived as commandant, BG Mace announced plans to strengthen and improve
military training that led to a number of changes including:

improved security
and discipline in the barracks

a decrease in freshmen
withdrawals

enhanced leadership
and human affairs training

stronger physical
fitness requirements

an expansion of
the community service program

added requirements
to the daily schedule including mandatory breakfast.

A
member of Class of 1963, BG Mace is one of The Citadel's most highly decorated
veterans.